PROJECT ERROR PROJECT
by ryn4242
Summary: A league of legends story based off the project skins recently released. It follows the pathways of several existing lore within the league game already. It is set in a cyberpunk Ionia where a mysterious organization, under the header PROJECT, works to forward it's agendas, whether it is for better or worse. Leave a comment if you like the work, it really helps. Updates on Sunday.
1. Chapter 1: Awaken

**"Take a breath for me. Slowly."**

 **He breathed in and out.**

 **"How does it feel?"**

 **"It's easier than before. It's unnatural though. I can taste the metal."**

 **"I'm sorry it had to be this way Yasuo."**

* * *

Yasuo awoke to the sounds of gentle music playing around him. The metal walls formed a prison that closed in around him. He had never liked the feel of any metal other than that of his sword. He paused to take in the scene. A clockwork woman sat across from him, staring at him, half with concern, half with curiosity. He felt around, but was met only with alarm.

"Where is it?" Yasuo cried out.

"What?" She asked.

"My sword, it's gone. I would not be careless enough to have lost it."

She took a moment, "You really don't remember?"

"There is nothing to remember, I woke up here and my sword is missing. You are the only one here to provide answers."

"Your sword was destroyed… I'm sorry."

"You lie woman," He ran up and shoved her against the wall, "Start talking."

"You were ambushed from the dark. Before we could act, he had already slipped away. Your sword laid shattered beside you. Now it rests in there." She pointed to a chest in the corner of the room.

Yasuo let go immediately and ran to the chest. Inside laid the scattered remains of the sword he had spent hours training with. A piece of rage boiled up inside.

"What did you do to it!?" He yelled out.

"I did nothing. I have made you aware of what happened…" She responded.

"Who are you? Tell me that at least."

"Does it matter?"

"It matters to me."

"I am Orianna. However, this information is not important to you."

"What information is important to me?"

"Your memories…"

Yasuo cringed as a wave of pain shot up his spine. He clutched at his face in agony, but it was not his own face that he touched. It was cold and hard. Yasuo looked at his hands. They were made from some type of non-Ionian metal. He now understood. He remembered.

"I died…" Yasuo spoke softly.

"No, you lived." She walked up to comfort him.

"How is this living?! I'm a tin can with not even my sword to comfort me." He brushed her aside.

"You are not the only thing that can be rebuilt," She motioned back over to the box, "Look on the hilt of the sword. You will find something out of place."

Yasuo slowly made his way to the chest again, feeling now his movements swifter and lighter. The hilt had slight modifications to it and a button on the side.

"I would point that away from you when you press it." Orianna called out.

Yasuo moved it around in his hands before hitting the button. In an instant, wind began swirl around the sword forming bridges of light that folded in on itself. The sword Yasuo once knew was now a beam of hardened light. He threw it around in his hand, feeling the new weight. With one swing he called forth his signature gust, ingrained with bits of refraction.

"I had heard about the famous wind technique, but had never seen it up close." Orianna spoke up.

"It's usually the last thing people see…" He replied coldly, "So what? Am I prisoner here?"

"You can leave whenever you want. The door out is over there." Orianna pointed.

"I want to know one thing before I go. Tell me everything about the man who attacked me."

"All I know is that he used a wind technique as well."

Yasuo fell silent.

"What is it?" Orianna asked.

Yasuo walked past Orianna silently and made his way outside the door.

"He's gone. Yasuo has begun to pursue the man who put blood on his hands. Things have gotten underway Project HQ." Orianna spoke aloud.

"Excellent. I want to test his new abilities first though." A voice came though the earpiece Orianna had on; It had ounce of venom behind it.


	2. Chapter 2: Fear

"Some things are forced on you—some things you learn to bear."

"How do you handle it? This burden I mean."

"Burden, ha. It is merely one step closer to me being the strongest in Damacia. No, all of Runeterra."

"Do you have an appointment?" The man behind the lobby desk asked.

"Of course I do. Who do you think I am?" She replied with a hint of disgust.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I'd thought you heard."

"Apparently I haven't."

"Hmph. Fiora is what it should be under. After this, everyone will know my name."

"Have a seat over there."

Fiora looked around at the walls of metal that encased her. Light spilled from every direction, illuminating every corner. She looked down at the scarce pool of magazines on the coffee table to the side. They were all beauty magazines, that's all they ever were. The air had a tinge of rust, but there was not even a hint of corrosion anywhere. The surfaces here seemed no more than a few months old. There was a hum. A hum of millions of bits of electricity flowing in sync. Fiora was so distracted that she almost didn't notice her name get called for the fourth time.

"…Fiora. He will see you now." The secretary asserted impatiently.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry. I was in a bit of a daze." She responded.

He motioned to the doors on the left, "Down the hallway. Take the elevator to the fiftieth floor. You can follow the signs to his office. It should be marked with the company insignia."

Fiora thought about the inverted triangle branded upon each article of the company. She simply nodded and left through the automatic doorway. A cool sense of disease passed over her and she shivered. The air might have been just a little too cold or the floor a little too clear and perfect. These thought faded away however, for she had no time to think on it now.

The elevator was a lot faster than expected. As soon as she boarded, it seemed as if she was already getting out. Strangely enough, there were no stops on the way. No one entered but her. Fiora looked around for some guidance to the destination she sought out for. The halls all looked alike. And then, she found herself face to face with a sign saying 'Reconstruction Services.'

At this point she could feel her heart pumping abnormally fast. It was fear. She was never afraid, but in this one moment she was confronted with the face of dread. Her concentration on the task at hand began to wane causing her to miss things obviously in front of her. She had made a promise on her father that she would restore the name he had tarnished. He was a cheater and a coward. The family name of a line of the greatest duelist in all of Damacia shattered with one secret. The poisoning of his competitors. She could still remember disbelief on her father's face as she disarmed him.

"I never meant… I never meant for it to happen this way…" He said.

"You are not my father, for my father was never a coward. You are merely the shell of his shattered ego." She uttered back.

"I leave you with all the family owns to use as you please. You have bested me in a duel."

She merely left he father lay there. Broken by time and shattered pride.

Her mind snapped her back to the reality in front of her. She was able to grab ahold of her senses and her heart started to slow. Fear was nothing. Fear merely kept us back. It was a restraint. She began to pick up pace toward the office again with a familiar resolve in her mind. She would surpass her father. She would be the greatest, no matter the sacrifice.

She burst through the doors to be greeted by an elderly man behind a desk at the end of the room. He did not look up at the intrusion. He sat typing at the computer, seemingly oblivious to the situation.

"My name is…" Fiora started.

"Fiora, yes, I expected you." He finished.

She was taken aback for a second at the sudden ferocity in his voice, "Well, then you know why I am here."

"I know why you think you know you are here."

"I don't understand."

"Tell your reasoning behind improving yourself through, digital enhancements."

"I want to want to restore my family's name."

"That's not why you're here."

"What?"

"You're here because you want power. You're merely not strong enough, isn't that right?"

"Well I only wish for it because…"

"Because of what your father did. Is that so? What if you had stopped it from happening in the beginning? Were you strong enough then?"

"There was nothing I could do!"

"Do you think that?! If you were strong enough to see it. If you were clever enough. It never would have escaped the way it did. Your family name would be safe."

Fiora was taken aback. Her heart and mind were in a tug of war. She knew that she couldn't have stopped it, but at the same time felt fully responsible. Maybe she did desire the sweet taste of power. The ability to stop things before they get too far. Her earlier lapses of doubt had melted away by the new fire in her.

"When do we…" Fiora began

"Start? Right away." He finished.


	3. Chapter 3: Gun

"Does it hurt to lose something you love?"

"It doesn't hurt to lose something you love, because eventually you'll find it again. It hurts to be without a piece of your soul. Something that your body needs to function without hurting every morning. That is what truly hurts."

"What will you do?"

"One day, I hope to kill death itself."

"Revenge is never a thing to strive for."

"For one second though… I'll feel at peace. I'm sure of that. All I want is one second to not hurt."

The smell of alcohol was especially pungent in the air as Lucian walked across the worn out floor. Noises rose and fell as bets were lost and men were rejected by woman out with their friends for the night. He subtly took note of this, but was distracted by the note crumpled in his hand. As Lucian walked, the crowds took notice of the double hipped guns he kept on his side. Out of respect they provided a path for him to get through. He approached the bar and slid the paper to the other side.

"What do you know about this symbol?" He asked the bartender without looking away from his eyes.

"You can't carry those in here you know." The bartender responded.

"That's not what I asked, nor the answer I wanted to receive."

"I'm going to have to ask you to…"

"Choose your words carefully around me. I have neither the time nor the patience."

The bartender paused for a second to assess his options. He knew this face. Lucian was the one of the few on the front lines defending Demacia from the Shadow Isles. Now however, he was a shade of the man he was before.

"You'll find what you want in the city. Now can you please take those outside."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

After the brief exchange of words, it seemed as though all the eyes in the bar were now trained on Lucian. He always drew the attention of crowds. Most had heard of his life as assassin to the undead. And about what he lost.

His steps were metered as he stepped along back the way he came, the masses unmoved since they stepped aside for him the first time. He always kept his eyes straight forward, never meeting their faces with his blank stares. He couldn't bring himself to see the pity in their gaze. They broke through him after he had lost the most important thing he had known in this world. The room seemed to dissolve around him as he became lost in a memory.

"I really don't think it's a good idea to go out tonight, Senna." Lucian told his wife.

"Really, I'm fine. It's just a cough. I've gone out with much worse." She kept her eyes to polishing her gun.

"The forces on the Shadow Isles are getting stronger every day. They are mobilizing in smarter and smarter ways every time we face them."

"So are we…"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you. I'm so sorry. I'm just in a hurry." The young looking blonde haired kid apologized.

"Aren't you too young to be in a bar?" Lucian responded.

"I, um, I do look young for my age, but trust me, I'm older than I look."

"Can you move aside? I'm in a hurry."

"Sure thing. Again, I'm so sorry for bumping into you. It seems you dropped this note," He handed over the paper to Lucian, "Is it important to you?"

"I'm just looking for something. Someone rather," He took back the paper and shoved in his coat pocket.

"I'm looking for something, too. They call it the Project. It grants you immense power if you find it."

"Did you say Project?"

"Yeah, I tracked down a lead all the way here. Do you know something about it?"

"No, I've wasted too much time here…" Lucian shoved the guy aside and exited the bar.

"Wait up!"

The blonde haired kid followed behind Lucian as he picked up pace toward the main road into Ionia. Lucian looked behind him and shooed him away. However, the stranger was dedicated to keep on his tracks.

"Can you please not follow me?" Lucian looked behind him, but could not see his pursuer.

"Not until I find what I'm looking for." He appeared in front of Lucian.

"How did you?"

"We all have our secrets. What do you know about this Project thing?"

Lucian just kept silent and moved around the guy in front of him.

"Could you please tell me? It would make this a lot easier for me to be the first to find it. I really want this artifact. Just tell me." The kid appeared in front of Lucian again.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong Lucian." Lucian's wife called him.

"I have a bad feeling about tonight, Senna." He responded.

"We've lived this long, what's there to fear. If I die tonight, I die loving you."

"I don't want to even imagine that as a possibility."

"I'm not leaving you alone out there. I've had your back from the day I married you."

Lucian looked over to a box that was kept on the table, "What is this?"

"It's just a lantern. The note in the box said it would guide us through the darkness."

"Hey. Hello. Hi. Are you still there? Tell me about the artifact." The blonde haired kid said.

Lucian continued to walk forward, moving him aside again.

"I'll just follow you."

"I'm not responsible for anything that may happen to you along the way."

"I've faced more than you know," He paused, "My name is Ezreal by the way. Who are you?"

"Lucian…"


	4. Chapter 4: Goodbyes

"You can't do this… Not to me."

"I have no choice. I will return, I promise you."

* * *

The air was especially hot and humid as Leona walked through the Ionian forests at midday. Her armor caught the rays and reflected them through the trees above, making it seem like the leaves were dancing around her in the trees. Several animals started to gather around her, trying to bathe in the warmth. They scattered away as a figure ran up behind her.

"Llllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeonnnnnnnnaaaaaaa!" A female voice shouted behind her.

"What are you… no, stop. You're going to…" Leona was knocked over by the woman's sheer force.

"You didn't tell ME you were going? Explain yourself."

"I, um, I didn't want to worry you, sis."

"I ought to beat you with your own sword for that."

Leona and her sister got up as she brushed herself off. They began again along the path Leona led.

"What happened? Why did you leave so suddenly?" Leona's sister began.

"It's difficult to say all now."

"I've got time."

"Leandra, I don't have time for this."

"And how did he feel about this?"

"He tried to stop me from leaving, but I told him I had to leave. He was difficult as always. I just need to leave."

"And WHY did you have to leave? You still haven't answered that."

"I never wanted to…"

"You mean that you did want to. You can't be like this." Leandra said.

"Leandra, please, just let me go."

"I'm the one person you know you can't ran away from without telling me why."

Leona looked over at her sister and saw the concern in her eyes. She knew that she had to tell her about the mark she found on her and where she was going. She removed her gauntlets and turned her wrist over to show her sister. An inverted triangle pointed down toward her hand, crudely marked on her skin.

"What is this?" Leandra asked.

"Several days ago, I found this marked upon my body. It was fine at first, but every day after I received a stronger and stronger urge to leave the town and go to where I feel is right."

Leandra traced the edges of the triangle with her finger, "It doesn't hurt?"

"It's not that it hurts, just when it's touched, I get the weirdest feeling in my stomach."

"You know he worries. He worries all the time about you. Especially when it concerns the League."

"He has to understand that I'm protecting him. Sometimes you have to hurt someone to stop them from pain in the future. I go to the League to protect him. This however is different. I feel like I have to find the answer to this."

"Just remember one thing, Leona," Leandra grabbed and stopped Leona in her tracks. Her gaze penetrated Leona's eyes and she spoke to her, "Do not tread with regret, for it is the one poison that kills you without a trace."

Time was held in suspension as Leona held her sister's comment in her head. She knew the poison that sat in her veins all too well.

* * *

"Marry me Leona." He stared up at Leona.

"You know that could never work. Not only am I ascended, but I can't be here with you all the time. I cannot give you what you need to be happy. You need to find someone better than me. You give me too much, much more than I deserve." Leona returned.

"I chose you for a reason. I wouldn't be here if that was even remotely true."

"Why can't you make this easy and let go of the rope you hold me by?"

"Because I don't want you to fall."

* * *

"Just take care of yourself. More importantly though, when you're done with this, take care of him." Leandra stared intently at her sister.

Leona turned to the road ahead of her and the sky was darkening. She turned back to her sister.

"Goodbye. I love you. Give this to him if I never come back. I have a feeling that this isn't going to be safe." Leona handed a sealed envelope over to Leandra.

Leandra remained silent as she watched her sister continued on the road ahead.

"Be safe sis. I love you, too." She said quietly to herself.


	5. Chapter 5: Broken

The streets were alive with the sounds of the night and the buzz of electricity around the area. Yasuo had been unaware of what time of day it was, let alone what day of the month it was. He gripped the sword at his side. It was still foreign in his hands and yet a warmth spread through his hand. Then it was gone, replaced with the cold chill of the metal. He wondered without purpose, hoping that maybe he could come across something useful. He had stormed out before getting any information that was actually important to him.

At that moment he stood still. Yasuo noticed that he had made this much of the journey, without knowing the path he took. Had he wanted to go back, he could not for the route he had taken was forgotten. Rather, never remembered to begin with. Thoughts swirled in his head and he began to feel faint. The world around him was dark.

* * *

Yasuo felt a warmth surround his body, as if he was enveloped in a cloak of comfort. He began to move around slightly. The place where he lay was smooth and cold to the touch. He could feel plants surround his. Yasuo's blade was drawn as he flew upright, ready to cut through the unfamiliar territory around him.

"I wouldn't do that," A female voice sounded in front of Yasuo, "What if I cut you piece? I'm sure that wouldn't feel good."

"What happened here? What happened to me? I will not show mercy simply because you are a woman," Yasuo barked back.

"Had I wanted to kill you, you would not have woken up. I merely picked you up off the street. If anything, I saved you."

"You expect me to..." Pain shot through Yasuo as he grabbed his head.

"I could tell you weren't well. Before I even approached you."

"Who are you?"

"I've had many names. Monster, mutant, voidling, savior. Right now though, I prefer Zyra."

"How did you do all this…?"

Yasuo looked around at the interweaving of plants throughout the room around him. It was if the plants were guided into the paths they took. There were designs of flowers and petals woven by the vines. He noticed his bed was an enormous leaf that supported his body in the perfect fashion.

"I can control the plants around me," A vine danced around down to Zyra's finger, "I give them protection and they return the favor."

"Where are we exactly?" Yasuo followed up.

"Ionia, just as you were before. This is my home that I own several blocks from where I picked you up."

"I still need to know…"

"You ask too many questions. Maybe you should just take things easy," Zyra looked at Yasuo.

"I have to find someone very important," Yasuo moved from his bed.

"A woman I assume."

"No, well, I'm not sure. It might be." He held his palm to his head, still feeling a mild headache.

"I can see your body was tainted by Sesto."

"Who…"

"I guess not by choice either. Sesto Incorporated handles all the technology you see around this city. Not something that favors the plants, by any means. That is the only one who could have modified your body like that and you didn't even know their name." Zyra placed her hand on Yasuo's arm and brushed it down to his hand.

"I was dying. They at least saved me. And now, I'm looking for the person who was after me."

"A dead man in a metal shell."

"I am who I was before."

"Anybody can become a puppet to metal strings."

Yasuo looked at Zyra and could see the concern on her face. Her eyes glowed yellow and it was like he could be pulled inside at any moment. He couldn't understand what he felt as she talked about his body. It felt as foreign to him as she did and yet, he knew that he must be the same.

"I have to get going before I lose any trace of him. Thank you for all you've done."

"You don't have to go. It is still night in the city. You can stay tonight. With me."

He was caught aback by the offer. Yasuo knew that he had to leave and yet staying felt like the right thing to do.

"I'll make the offer easier to accept." Zyra leaned n and kissed Yasuo.

She pulled back and Yasuo stood there, weighing his options. He arose and opened the door he assumed was the exit. He looked back at her face. Her eyes still drawing him in.

"Goodbye…" Yasuo he muttered as he left through the door. Desire still on his lips.


End file.
